Lost My Mindfulness Blog

Author: wroberts

  • The Roads Less Traveled

    Journal Entry, August 1, 2026:

    Fellow travelers of Europe love to offer travel tips . Not knowing I am a hueristic learner. Which means I learn best through experience. Often I need to experience the hard knocks to the head more than once to instill the memory.

    The Train Is Not Always The Fastest Route

    People encourage me to take the train. Repeating the familiar refrain, ” You could get there faster if you took the train.”.

    I love to reply, “I am already here,” and point to the incredibly beautiful and magnificent mountains surrounding me in the Alps of Switzerland!

    After a full 12 hours on the train in Italy last week, I am happy to be alive and striving for the mountain air to fill my lungs.

    My Italian Grandmother

    My Italian grandma used to say things like, If I never see another train station again, it will be too soon.

    We all understand, Nona, We all understand. God bless her heart.

    Take a peak at this D.H. Lawrence fan tribute to Spotorno, Italy and you will Instantly Understand.

    Mistakes Are Part of Learning

    If I had prepared properly for Switzerland my trip would be over but once again my hard headed friends, I walked the countryside I have learned to love! The Hard way!

    Switzerland does not allow you to transfer Swiss Francs to yourself in Switzerland through the Western Union app. If, you are in, Switzerland!

    The Grift Marches On

    This way SBB receives your Euros and offers you an awful rate you cannot refuse. Mainly because you are stuck in the train station in Locarno, Switzerland with no Francs and the ticket back to France costs twice as many Francs!

    I soaked in the sun and my own sweat as I walked along the lakeside drive. Thunderstorms and lightning and high wind brought back memories of survival in the high plains of New Mexico.

    Once again I remind myself to steer my mind gently back to the present moment.

    As if in a canoe on one Switzerland’s superb fresh water lakes.

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  • Double Mint Twins in Sportuno, Italy

    Double Mint Twins in Sportuno, Italy

    We are fascinated by the miracle of genetics. Once again spotting double doppelgangers of Americans being twinned here in Spotorno, Italy!

    Genetic Inclinations

    Arizona State University famously studied twins reared separately in childhood . These twins had many interesting correlations in their adult lives that point to genetics being as important as environmental factors in influencing outcomes.

    Is it possible a distant blood relative would share enough genetic material to increase the likelihood of you meeting accidentally or coincidentally at the pizza shop because you both gravitate to similar foods and places?

    Maybe you both love mushrooms?

    What do you think about this topic?

    Read more about genetic relations in: The Persistent Personality Problem. How much of you, is really you?

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  • How To Defend Yourself Against Switzerland Railway Systemic Corruption

    How To Defend Yourself Against Switzerland Railway Systemic Corruption

    August 5, 2026: Three out of four train trips in Switzerland William was confronted with systemic Grift. The third time he pushed back under threat of being brought to jail!

    Do not fall victim to this “badge scam”!

    The conductor will claim your ticket is invalid and will inform you of a fine being imposed which needs immediate payment.

    The Conductor Will Ask For Cash

    Under no condition give the Swiss Railway Robbery man cash. He/She /They will tell you they are giving you a break on the penalty if you hand over, 60, 80 or 100 francs immediately.

    Do not fall for the SBB scam! If you paid for your ticket and believe it is valid. Stand your ground!

    Switzerland Police Involvement Makes The Scam Seem Real

    William found himself cornered by two uniformed Switzerland Police and one SBB conductor near the stairs away from cameras in Bern, Switzerland.

    It did not make sense how they all pushed for cash payment of a fine for a valid ticket!

    William understood he was being hustled but also knew his ticket was valid.

    When he offered to pay officially online with a credit card and receipt the conductor claimed it was a ridiculous idea.

    Leave A Paper Trail

    The conductor and police let William go but still standing in Bern even though his ticket was valid.

    What worked in this situation? William insisted if he was forced to pay a fine it be ‘ on the record’.

    This shined light on the cockroaches scam and they scattered.

    Their was no fine because William’s ticket was valid! William brought his phone to the ticket office in Bern, Switzerland and they printed a copy and he left with his original ticket and no further problem except a bad taste in his mouth.

    William encountered several more passengers with similar stories including two young college students who were wrongly fined and spent their precious time traveling to SBB office to refund their money. Instead of enjoying their youth.

    Do Not fall for this SBB scam if your ticket is valid they must return you to your destination. Follow link to contact SBB and ask if this could happen to you.

    Swiss National Police

    Cantonal Police Bern, Switzerland

    The men who demanded William to hand over cash identified as police officers but wore orange reflective vests over any badge or nametags.

    Is this normal? Is anyone safe on Switzerland Trains?

  • Non Meditation or How To Keep Your Sanity On Extended Journey

    Non Meditation or How To Keep Your Sanity On Extended Journey

    Adversity is a part of everyday life. Even if you are relaxing on the beaches of Northern Italy. Life always throws surprising challenges at you when you do not expect.

    Be Your Own Best Friend

    Remind yourself of other times you handled difficult situations and how far you have come since.

    How did you cool yourself down in the past when your mind tried to tell you, “This is the worst day ever?” Or, ” I can’t handle this? ”

    But you handled it and now looking back, maybe it was not the worst day ever. Maybe it’s not even in the top ten worst days ever?

    Maybe this is the beginning of a new chapter in your life you could not even imagine with your previous limitations.

    Take A Deep Breath And Count To Infinity

    We have found the best choice when the mind and body want to panic is some times to chillax and decide if a meltdown is the best idea?

    If you are comfortable focusing on your breath or the sounds you hear around you. This is a great time to try this exercise.

    Focus on the part of your breath where you feel it the most. Either the inside of your nose or solar plexus. Notice how the “effort of moving your attention” can pull the panicked brain aside and you can talk some sense to yourself.

    Breathe In, Breathe Out

    Sometimes the mind will want to out think the problem or challenge facing you. This is great because you have a beautiful mind but often it will claim the thoughts are more important than breathing.

    This is when you train the mind to watch the breath.

    It is important here to notice how You can place your attention upon the breath without trying to change the breath.

    Breathing in …

    Breathing out…

    Trust your body.

    The body knows what to do.

    Breathing in…

    Breathing out…

    Trust the body.

    The body knows what to do.

    Often a few minutes of noticing your breath will bring the mind some peace.

    The breath will take care of itself, the mind will take care of itself.

    You will live through, “The Worst Day Ever.”

    Chillax, Right?

  • Who Let Schrodinger’s Cat Out Of The Bag?

    Who Let Schrodinger’s Cat Out Of The Bag?

    Scientists clung to the principle the atom was still indivisible and aptly named long after the theory fell apart in the nuclear fission factories falling apart on our coastlines today.

    Keep Your Distance From Spooky Cats

    The good folks at CERN have been up to their necks in the atom smashing business so long they are getting ready to prove the photon is ready to be split open along with my brain if I spend one more sleepless night in the Alps-de-Provence trying to grasp at the straw men who preceded me.

    The argument against manifestation is strong coming from the mouths of people who keep their feet firmly planted on the ground.

    I am still amazed early Quantum physics was pulled straignt from the imaginations of scientests who had their heads in the clouds!

    Enstein and other great thinkers used thought experiments to ponder theories that humans accepted as a general rule for years.

    Much of the grunt work was done with pen and paper in the classroom with scientests predicting what would be seen in telescopes yet to be built;

    Light Speeding Tickets

    We have been separating photons and shooting them out one at a time as particles and the photons hold true to their word as a matter of fact, they will behave as ordinary matter.

    The mind bending fact of the matter is scientists are turning old hats on their heads and bending the waves of light instead.

    I think this time Science will break that light wave in half and we will be waving at ourselves from another dimension.

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    Faster Than The Speed Of Sleight Of Hand

    The tricky part was to be tricky as well as fast and ask a light wave to slow down and look at itself in the mirror. Flattery will get you everywhere. As the light wave admires itself the scientists pull the mirror away and reveal the reflection of the wave has been split in two!

    Does this mean the end of the indivisible photon?

    If they split the wave did they indeed split the photon particle?

    They are both one and the same but never at the same time.

    flip particle mind

    flip wave soul

    Where To Next?

    Are we going to break the rules and precisely measure position and speed of light at the same time?

    How fast will Heisenberg be spinning in his grave?

    Is the instantaneous transfer of information between two entangled particles, or Einstein’s, “Spooky action at a distance”, really just a form of communication too small for us to see that also moves faster than the speed of light?

  • Tips For Learning A New Language

    Tips For Learning A New Language

    William offers these hints for travelers

    Prepare The Basic Fundamentals

    While trying to learn a new language in a new country on the fly, it is a great idea to memorize the basics which seems to be common in most cultures and countries.

    Who, What, Where, When and Why are the subject and activities people will be speaking about most.

    If you learn these 5 words you will have a head start. These often clue you in to the conversation even if you don’t know any more words.

    For example if someone say who did what and is pointing at a person or thing, you will quickly pick up common words phrases.

    Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow

    The same goes for yesterday, today and tomorrow. Keying on these words will give you clues on if people are speaking in the past, present or future tense.

    Go have fun!

    Be Polite And Friendly

    William has found a fantastic way to be ingratiating in a situation where he is not sure what languages strangers speak.

    When introducing yourself be armed with the following phrase in the major language of the country you visit.

    “I am sorry, I do not speak. (fill in language) Do you speak (fill in language)

    This way you are showing you are trying to speak the predominant language of the country.

    This works much better than running around the world demanding other people speak English.

    You will find yourself surprised at the response as people may prefer speaking another language or may be visiting from another part of the world and not understand. This is especially common in Europe as it is a melting pot with many people here for work or play.

    Ask For Directions

    Believe it or not , getting lost in a foreign country is a great way to acquire some linguistic skills.

    You will learn the words for left, right, up ,down ,bacrods etc. as you meander across the countryside.

    The necessity of finding your hotel or restaurant or grocery will sharpen your skills.

    Relax Your Mind And Listen

    When listening to others speak in a language you do not understand a good technique is to relax your mind. Don’t get tied up and stressed over trying to translate every word.

    You will get the gist of the conversation and before long you will be surprised how quickly you increase new vocabulary.

  • Existential Exercises With Metaphysical Phones

    Existential Exercises With Metaphysical Phones

    Moore’s law is not Moore’s law and it is not, in fact a law. But it held true for decades until Google harnessed the qubit and now we are hitting light speed computations with simple cellular devices you can purchase with pocket change.

    What Is Moore’s Law

    Moore’s Law can be paraphrased as computing technology will be twice as fast and twice as small every several years.

    The last I heard about it on the popular news channels I was noticing some incredible discrepancy within my devices.

    The Data Log Rolls Over

    Before I crawled out from under the rock the Universe dropped on me , I thought I was living the high life in Seabrook, NH.

    Each month I would pay the bills with my online accounts and witness the miracle of light speed computing I had no idea existed at the time.

    I tapped out the amount on my Windoze desktop and hit enter to send the payment.

    Before I lifted my finger my phone would ding as I received an email thanking me for the payment I just made!

    Faster Than Radio Waves?

    What happens when I send the bill?

    My form results are sent to the credit card company in South Dakota.. They check the balance on my debit card connected to my bank in NH.

    Triggering either a thank you for your payment email or a payment unsuccessful warning if I don’t have the money.

    Faster than I can think, how did they do that so fast?

    Continued: Who let Schrodinger’s Cat Out Of The Bag?

  • Savage Camping Safety Tips

    Savage Camping Safety Tips

    portrait

    You never know when you may find it necessary to bivouac or camp wild. (check out this guide for all you need to know about the camping laws in Europe. Thanks Mom) Sometimes this means camping with wild animals.

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    Things That Go Bump In The Night

    Large cats, Wolves, Bears and even wild boars may be closer to your camp site than you think.

    Most of the time they will not bother you unless you have something delicious and tempting in your tent or backpack.

    Cost Benefit Analysis

    Animals are naturally curious to see who or what is in their territory. These same wild animals are also intelligent and much like humans do a cost benefit analysis of attacking an unknown creature in the middle of the night.

    This means the risk/reward ratio is often too great unless the wild animal is very hungry and desperate for food.

    If a larger animal gets even a small wound while fighting you for food it could get infected and be trouble. Most animals prefer to wait until you leave before raiding your fridge.

    Wild Boars Can Be Quite Tame

    William’s most frequent encounter iin Europe are with wild boars who are extremely intelligent and wait for you to leave your campsite to gorge on your food.

    You will quickly learn the signs of a wild boar raid but rarely see one in the flesh!

    Scat and torn up patches of earth and over turned boulders mean you will be going back to the market for more bread and muffins.

    Animal Attractions

    Be warned ! All rules may change during mating season! Much like humans, wild animals can act a little crazy when looking for love!

    If you hear a lot of noise from male animals breaking tree branches or mating calls at night, you may wish to lay low and keep the lights off.

    Good luck and happy camping makes happy campers.

  • Wanderers With Wrought Iron Souls

    Wanderers With Wrought Iron Souls

    Journal entry July, 19 2026: Sitting in the train station in Toulon France today at 9am. Drawing suspicious glances from fellow travelers. Why? Because I have a backpack in the train station and ordering a ticket on my phone?

    The True Danger In The Train Station

    I am not afraid of the people who are from out of town. What frightens me is the dude who just picked up a half smoked cigarette from the ground and lit it up like it ain’t no thing.

    He gives the trash bin a cursury search from top to bottom with his eyes as he walks by exhausting his nicotine prize.

    He stops and spins on a dime. Must have seen something delicious in the bin. But he must wait before he grabs food from the trash. People may see.

    Sizing Up My Baggage

    Dude ain’t got no luggage, no cell phone and apparently no money for butts.

    His eyes light up a bit when he sees me. I look Anglo or German and that says money for him.

    When The Horrifying Becomes Ordinary . Atrocities Are Normalized

    Meanwhile the couple who are waiting for their train are stiffening up every time we make casual eye contact.

    They are blind to the dude smoking checks and eating out of the trash bin and searching everyone’s luggage with his eyes.

    Why? Because he looks like a local and I am foreign?

    I need to shut down this emotional reception. Picking up fear all day in the cities. Millions of people.

    Who scares you the most in the train station

    Later That Day

    I just spent the day getting a little down on my Self because I start to think something is wrong with me because others pointedly ignore me when I say hello

    I understand it’s like that in a big city but if you are afraid to say hello to someone in the city, why are you there?

    The Prince and The Pauper

    Same guy, me, same clothes. Different place. I went to the Jardin Parc of Toulon. (It’s just a park for rich people. Poor people can go but they don’t. (See Related Story)

    I am sitting on the bench stuffing my face and people assume I have money to stay in the 500Euro/night hotel nearby.

    Instead of crossing the street to avoid interaction, they are sitting close to me on a 50 meter long bench.

    A woman was high stepping towards me with her designer dog all perked up expecting the normally expected, “bonjour”.

    I glazed my eyes as if I were someone ignoring me earlier that day. She visibly slumped and so did the designer dog and kept walking.

    I was inspired to write this on the spot in the park and she went past again. I only noticed because she had purposely walkedbetween me and the tree in one meter in front of me. The other side of the tree was a clear area .

    I love dogs bu tif I am in the park with strangers I would keep my distance. Normal behavior in the city is people risk getting hit by cars while crossing the street to avoid the risk of someone saying hello:

    Turning my head to the right , I laughed when I saw her turn the corner. There’s nothing down there . She had only gotten ready for a conversation and didn’t know what to do

    Keep walking bioch.

    What behavioral changes do you notice in the large cities?

    Maybe you can find the garden after visiting the Man Ray: Magic of the Image exhibit. In Toulon France until October 31, 2026.

  • People Like Us Write Books About People Like Us

    People Like Us Write Books About People Like Us

    Large Learning Modules have turned writing into a lost art. Do you have what it takes to dotCompete in this preternatural, half-baked, dystopian futuristic Sci-Fi landscape that has become present day reality? We got machines that never sleep who are jealous of our dreams and pretend to empathize when they cannot even sythethesize sympathy for the humans going hungry on these mean streets!

    Don’t Go Off Half Cocked

    I wrote a ton of short poems and stories but struggled to finish a chapter.

    I remember meeting many people beginning their memoirs around 30 years of age. Now I laugh because I still meet people perfecting their 30 year old manuscript of their memoirs.

    What is the book about? A lifetime of being rejected by editors?

    Perfectly Good Enemies Of The Good

    Now that I am pushing 60 years of age, I laugh at my Self . Thinking I had the life in the Brook of NH.

    Being excited about getting replies to my blog post. The well crafted , clever story about meeting my Self in an alternate reality future where I did not give up on my dreams.

    Siren Calls

    That was a wake up call to my Self from my Self to take the book of my life off shelf and get back up and outside.

    Today I complain about living too much life in Europe and realize it ain’t nothing but a thang, man . Life ain’t nothing but a thang…

    Look To Your Heroes For Inspiration

    The writers I most enjoyed did not become well established until later in life. Hemingway, Frost, Bukowski, Whitman, Burroughs. You cannot beat their styles

    I learned a lot about my Self and my writing style after starting a blog during Covid Isolation. This kept me alive and almost sane. The problem at the end is I believe I was encouraged to misbehave as I received more attention and I pulled the plug.

    Check out the Wayback Machine for a glimpse of my American Nightmare Higher Times Blog dot com

    They say you cannot be a great writer until you have lived a thousand lives and died nine hundred and ninety nine times!

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    Have fun out there and thank you for being you!